Not all living rooms are blessed with masses of natural light. But there are tricks that can be employed to brighten the gloomiest of spaces. It’s well known that lighting is important, but how best to use it? And what other ways are there to make your rooms light up and bring you joy?
This living room, designed by London-based interior designers Cathy Phillips & Co, is a shining example of how layered light and other techniques can really make a difference. The room, though spacious, is in the middle of the house – a dining room extension to the back brings in a little light but the space lacks its own windows.
So, to bring a glow to the darkest evening, the designer devised a lighting scheme that created pools of light at various heights in the room, using floor and table lamps from the same range to create a harmonised look. A common problem is lack of light in the middle of a room (which often means people are forced to place sofas and so on around the walls of a room, creating a clumsy “waiting room” effect)….here a floor socket was installed, hidden underneath the sofa, to allow ambient lighting to be placed next to the central seating area.
Walls painted a rich yet muted yellow create a warm atmosphere without being harsh, and careful consideration was given to the placement of the furniture to allow an easy flow through the room.
Rich wood tones and shiny surfaces have been used to create tone and reflect light around the room – a trick that can be employed in other rooms too, especially kitchens and bathrooms (shiny kitchen units will help to make a narrow kitchen look wider, for instance).
Light is also reflected in the use of burnished accessories – textured, copper-colour silk cushions and golden decorative bowls. These help to bounce light around, as well as reminding us of the life-enhancing glow of the sun.
“It’s a beautiful space now, at any time of day” says Cathy Phillips. “It really highlights the importance of considering all aspects of interior design in a room.”
Images Credit :- Mi Elfverson
